Timshel: Ike
by mssilenthorse
Summary: Emma is kidnapped.  Can the boys find her in time?  Timshel: A Story in Four Part Harmony


**A/N: We had a crazy idea one night. Inspired by Mumford adnd Son's _Timshel _ and Akira Kurosawa's _Rashomon_.- One song, one story, four riders four writer's and four seperate pieces. **

**This is Ike's story.**

Sometimes the best place to start a story is at the beginning, so that is where I will start.

Smoke lingered in the air around me and I coughed as I watched Mike Tucker bet a dollar on his poker hand. I would have bet more. A full house with Aces leading over Kings isn't an easy hand to get and I was pretty sure that the guy Jimmy was watching was bluffing.

We had come into town with Emma to get supplies. Kid and Lou were on an express run and Teaspoon was back at the station. Emma had givin' us a little free time while the supplies were being filled. She had said to stay outta trouble. We found our way here to the saloon and decided to watch this poker game, well me, Jimmy and Buck were watching the poker game. I looked over to where Cody stood sweet talking some saloon girl over by the bar. She must really like what he is rambling on about because she was all smiles. She wasn't my type but I guess she was Cody's type. Come to think of it, I don't really think Cody has a type. They just have to be female. I shook my head and knew for sure that we will all hear about her later.

I looked back at Mike's hand as I heard Pete Taylor call the bet. Pete slapped down three sevens and I could practically hear the money crawling across the table into Mike's pocket as he smiled and laid down the full house. I heard the saloon doors open and glanced over to see who it was. I had never seen these men before but they were a rowdy looking bunch that had trouble written all over them. I tried to focus on the next hand of poker but the loud visitors were making it impossible. They started on us right away. Well they started on Buck right away. The tall lanky one, walked right up to Buck and I knew what was comin'. Buck and I met in Mission school and he never saw me as a dummy or a burden, just a brother. We were all each other had as far as a family went. We had an unspoken bond that was unexplainable. I have known him for many years and I knew my brother didn't let things get to him in public. He may deal with it lately in private, he would hide in himself and I would have to help him back out into the open again but he was mostly non-confrontational. He just stood there calmly as the man insulted him. "Hey half breed where's.." Buck turned his attention back to the poker game. The man grabbed Buck's arm and turned him back around. I saw the two smaller men over by Jimmy and I heard one say something about Jimmy compensating with his guns. I put a hand on Buck's shoulder and nodded my head to the door for us to leave, that's when the man in front of me said "What's the matter boy, too loud for ya." I shook my head no. I didn't want to fight but I could tell where this was leading and although I didn't hear the entire sentence I heard the man call me dummy about the same time the man in front of Buck spit tobacco juice in his face. Well needless to say the punches started flying. I saw Jimmy swing at the man in front of him.

I felt the first punch hit my jaw and I rebounded with a right hook to his nose. I watched the blood as it trickled down from his nose. He was mad as he covered his nose and swung again. I ducked the next punch but he again swung. His fist felt like a brick as it made contact with my stomach, knocking the wind outta me. With fury, I landed a blow to his jaw and he stumbled backwards. I heard Jimmy hell for help from Cody.

I could taste the blood in my mouth and my knuckles hurt but when those saloon doors swung open and Emma saw us fighting I was ashamed. My heart hurt as I watched the sadness and the anger spread across her face. She crossed her arms and with a bit of disappointment in her voice she scowled at us.

"Have I taught you boys nothing? Cussin' and fightin' aint no way to solve your problems. Don't care what they said" I felt like my heart was going to burst.

But then a bit of pride walked through my heart when Emma looked at the men we were fighting, her eyes flashed with pure confidence, and with boldness that was pure Emma, she scolded them. "Don't you have something better to do then to pick on these boys? I think you best leave. And leave now."

That's when the day went from bad to worse, the fifth man that had come in with the trouble makers, walked up behind Emma grabbed her around the waist and pointed his gun at her head. Emma looked at the man and I thought I heard her say that she knew him.

I pulled my gun and heard my friends pull theirs but when the man who had Emma said "Drop the guns or the red head gets it." We dropped our guns. The man that had spit tobacco juice in Buck's face took away his knife and before I knew what was going on the man that had Emma, left out the saloon door and we were being tied up and the bad guys were laughing and running out the door. I struggled against the rope and so were the others, it was like tug of war and none of us were winning.

I saw Ed the bar keeper sneak out from his hiding place behind the bar. He was about to run out the door when I heard Jimmy shout venom at him. "Ed you better get over here and get us loose or so help me I'll…" Ed froze in his tracks and decided to help us. He found Buck's knife laying on the ground and cut us loose. We all grabbed our guns, Buck took his knife away from Ed and we all ran out the swinging doors into the street. Several men pointed us in the direction they had left in. We mounted our horses quickly and rode off following the tracks. I looked toward Sam's office and didn't see him and we didn't have time to find him.

I watched as Buck slowed his horse and jumped off before it was completely stopped. He studied the tracks on the ground and said something I couldn't quite figure out. I watched him vault back onto his horse and my heart sank when he said "They split up here." It was decided since Cody can track too that he and Jimmy would follow one set of tracks and Buck and I would follow the others.

My warm heart was arguing with my cold mind and I was feeling a bit sick. Emma was like a mother to me. How could I have let this happen? My own Ma was tender just like Emma. When I was sick with scarlet fever, my Ma sat for hours beside my bed singing to me and reading from the family Bible. I remember the look of worry on her face and love in her eyes. I felt a tear roll down my cheek at the memory. I looked over at Buck who was studying the ground. I wiped the tear with the back of my hand and remembered a time not long ago after meeting Emma and these other boys that I was out in the barn and had gotten kicked in the head by an ornery Mustang. I stumbled into the bunkhouse. I saw the sadness on Buck's face and the anger in Jimmy's eyes, but all I saw in Emma's face was concern and I felt the tenderness in her motherly hands when she wrapped my head. I could feel the compassion as she hummed a lullaby. I realized then that this was my home and these people were my family. And then when they were going with me to face Nickerson in court, I wanted so much to tell Emma how much she meant to me but she already knew, like a mother would.

I saw Buck jump off his horse and squat down near some tracks. I heard his voice crack, as he said "Looks like we'll be meeting up with Cody and Jimmy, here shortly." He remounted and when he looked at me I saw the same sadness in his eyes that I know he saw in mine; he was having a hard time with this too. He gave me a sad crooked grin and nudged his horse back into action. Sure enough within minutes we saw Cody and Jimmy riding up toward us. We stopped our horses and discussed business.

We saw their measly little hangout appeared on the horizon. As we approached the farm, Jimmy dismounted and said "Let's split up we got a better chance of finding Emma" I agreed and we all dismounted our horses. I ran around to an apple tree where I had full view of the back and side of the house. I saw Buck sneak into the barn. I could see Jimmy behind a tree across the yard from me and Cody was barely visible in a stash of trees with his rifle. I crouched down when I heard a door open. I saw the one that had called me dummy, sneaking around the back of the house on my side. I heard one shot that sound like it came from the Cody's Hawkins; I aimed at the buffoon on my side and missed the first shot. I quickly retreated for cover behind the tree as he fired at me. I heard gun shots all around me and knew the others were taken care of business too. I quickly cocked my gun and peaked around the tree, I could see his boots as he hid behind the house. I needed to draw him out with out getting to close. I reached up and grabbed an apple off the lowest branch, and threw it at his boots, he took a step out to avoid the apple and I took my shot, square in the chest. He fell to the ground. I heard commotion on the front porch of the house and I peaked around the other side of the tree. There was Emma and the man that held her captive. I came around the tree and saw that bastard had Emma right in front of him. She had a gag in her mouth and her hands were tied in front of her.  
>I heard Jimmy telling him to put the gun down. The man actually had the nerve to talk back. Something along the lines of him having nothing to lose. Jimmy tried again to get Emma released. I tried to get closer when I saw Emma shaking her head and the gag fell out of her mouth. She jabbed her elbow in his ribs and yelled.<p>

"Now Boys."

She tried to duck but he was still holding her. He tried to shoot Emma when I pulled the trigger and heard three other guns go off too. The man's body convulsed and fell to the ground. Then to my horror I heard Emma cry out in pain as she too fell to the ground. My world started spinning as I ran to her and knelt beside her. Death was at our doorstep. My God what had we done? I heard the others arguing over who shot her. Does it matter? That could have been my bullet in there as much as either of theirs. I had just come around the tree maybe my aim was off. I took a deep breath and as I knelt beside her staring at the blood soaking through Emma's sleeve my heart sank at how pale she was. We had our choices to make. That is what makes real men. I flipped my hat off and quickly took off my bandana. They were still arguing with each other as I wrapped Emma's arm. I looked into her face. Eyes filled with tears looked at me from a face full of fear. Every emotion that she was feeling was rolling down her red cheeks. She bit her bottom lip trying to stifle a scream. She blinked her eyes to try and stop the tears but it wasn't working. She took a deep breath and I could tell that she was trying to be brave. I looked up at them; Jimmy's eyes were full of frustration. Concern was etched on Buck's face and Cody who was usually calm and collected looked like he was about to fall apart. I just wanted to scream at them to shut up. I looked back down at Emma and I knew when she looked at me that she could see the tears that I was trying to hide. She tried to sit up but only managed a moan which only made me more upset. I looked at my brothers just as Cody threw his hands up in defeat and yelled out "STOP IT... We're supposed to be a family."

The silence was deafening as we all realized we were acting like enemies and Emma didn't need that. Buck took control of his emotions and said "It doesn't matter who shot her. What matters is that we get her to a doctor."

I stood up and I wasn't sure if that itself or the tears in my eyes that got their attention but when they all looked at me I signed with shaky hands "We need to help her like she has always helped us". Buck looked dizzy and I barely felt him steady himself with a hand on my shoulder.

Jimmy didn't hesitate as he said "Well then, let's get her to town" He bent down and picked her up and carried her to his horse.

I took a deep breath and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. Buck must have seen me because he put a not so steady hand on my shoulder. As I climbed back onto my horse I was overwhelmed with emotions. I felt the warm tears as the continued to roll down my cheeks. I felt glad that we had found Emma but so sick with worry that my stomach felt like it was in knots. I remembered the look of disappointment on her face when she saw us at the saloon. And I knew that I never wanted to see that look on her face again.

I couldn't imagine what Jimmy was feeling holding Emma against him but I knew that my world had just changed. I remembered something Teaspoon had said once "Sometimes the greatest heroes are the ones standing beside you." Well I didn't feel much like a hero, Yeah we found Emma but she was injured and one of us had shot her.

As we approached town, I saw Sam standin' in front of the Marshal's office and when he saw Emma in Jimmy's arms he didn't look too happy. He went around to where Jimmy had stopped his horse. Jimmy didn't want to let go of Emma but I heard Sam say something to Jimmy and watched as Jimmy lowered her into Sam's waiting arms. There was such sadness in Sam's eyes as he carried her into Doc Barnes' office.

As I sat in somber silence, I listened to Cody stretch his tale of Emma's ordeal to Sam, who was fuming over the whole ordeal. I think he was trying to be funny to keep from falling apart. Buck was sitting against the rail on the boardwalk. He looked like he was lost in another world. I know my brother well enough to know he is blaming himself. Jimmy sat stoically staring off into nothing. I can't imagine what he is feeling. He had to carry Emma all the way here on his horse. Sam looked about ready to snap as he looked at Cody like the boy was speaking a foreign language. And Teaspoon. Well Teaspoon looked like he had aged fifty years since coming up on the conversation moments ago. He had been asleep in the tack room when we left this morning. He had appeared in the middle of Cody's tale and was now looking a bit haggard. He braced himself against the porch beam and listened.

I leaned my head back against the wall and realized I was watching everybody else so I wouldn't keep blaming myself for that bullet wound in Emma's shoulder. I heard Cody finish up his story and Sam asked if that was everything that happened. We all nodded as Cody said "Yeah but the gunshot was unintentional." I stared at the ground and knew Cody was having a hard time with this.

I heard Teaspoon take a deep break and his voice crack when said "Boys nobody blames you. What's important is that Doc Barnes is getting her patched up." I could see the worry on his face and the concern in his eyes.

That's when the door opened and Doc Barnes walked out. I'm sure we were a site to see. His words were like music to my ears. "She is a tough lady, she's lost quite a bit of blood, but she should be fine in a couple of days with plenty of rest"

I felt like a great weight had been lifted off my chest. I took the first deep breath I think I had taken since those men walked through those saloon doors and trampled on our little world. I saw a smile on Jimmy's face and Buck slapped a hand on Cody's shoulder.

Doc Barnes' voice broke through my thoughts as he said "She's asking for you boys first. I tried to argue with the woman but with the look she gave me I agreed. But I insist on a brief visit and don't upset her.

We looked at each other and I followed Buck and Jimmy in, Cody was behind me. I saw pain in Sam's eyes as we passed him. His love for her was evident on his face.

Emma looked pale as she stretched her hands out to us. She reached for Buck, first then Jimmy before reaching for me and Cody. I could feel her touch was cold but still firm and motherly. I heard Cody ask about the man that had taken her.

She said "He knew my husband, his name was Cheney. He did a lot of evil things. But thanks to you boys he is dead now." I noticed she didn't say much more and this was a mystery maybe better left alone.

I saw her face get calmer and she started talking about us forgiving our selves and forgiving her. I never blamed her. We started to argue but she held up her hand to stop us.

"I'm so proud of you boys. You worked together and I am alive because of that." She took a breath and continued "You're never alone as long as you remember that your family is right here in this room." I looked around the room at the boys who had quickly become my brothers. "We all have our troubles and our demons to fight and overcome. You can choose to follow a cold and lonely road or you can put your pride aside and trust each other. I love each of you and will fight for you, but I can't move your mountains for you."

Her words stuck in my head and heart as she laid back down on her pillow. I could tell she was tired. I saw the other boys with tears on their cheeks as I wiped mine away. I heard Sam walk in and walk around us. I guess maybe he got tired of waiting. She reached for him and that's when we all just kinda slipped out to let them have their moment.

Teaspoon is a wise man and has many words to say although to be honest I didn't hear much of what he had said as I thought about Emma's words. But as I sit here writing this, I realize how lucky I really am, to have a family. Buck and I have known each other a long time and I truly considered him my brother. I watched as Jimmy was joking with him and smiled. Cody was on his bunk probably reading one of his books. When Lou and Kid get home in the morning there is going to be one heck of a story to tell them. I hoped they were as grateful as I am to have this family.

Cold is the water  
>It freezes your already cold mind<br>Already cold, cold mind  
>And death is at your doorstep<br>And it will steal your innocence  
>But it will not steal your substance<p>

But you are not alone in this  
>And you are not alone in this<br>As brothers we will stand and we'll hold your hand  
>Hold your hand<p>

And you are the mother  
>The mother of your baby child<br>The one to whom you gave life  
>And you have your choices<br>And these are what make man great  
>His ladder to the stars<p>

But you are not alone in this  
>And you are not alone in this<br>As brothers we will stand and we'll hold your hand  
>Hold your hand<p>

And I will tell the night  
>Whisper, "Lose your sight"<br>But I can't move the mountains for you

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thank you too my fellow Carmina Buranas. We rock.-V**


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